Clothes-rack.



2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

PATENTED FEB. 26, 1907.

W. S. MATHERS.

CLOTHES RACK.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 1.0. 1906.

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w; in cows No. 845,245. PATBNTED FEB. 26, 1907.

w. s. .MATHERS. CLOTHES RACK.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 10. 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATEN- FFIOE.

WILLIAM S. MATHERS, OF ALLERTON, IOWA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO GEORGE F. KNERR, OF ALLERTON, IOWA.

CLOTHES-RACK.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Feb. 26, 1907.

Application filed May 10,1906. Serial No. 316.202.

To all whom it may concern.- j Be it known that I, WILLIAM S. MATHERs,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Allerton, in the county of WVayne and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useposed apertured car 10, by means of which the upper end of the rack is secured upon a wall by a nail, screw, or the like. The rim 7 is angular in cross-section, and in its downwardly and outwardly projecting portion are formed slots or openings 11, through which the upper ends of the arms 6 project and slide. These slots 11 are formed by cutting the rim 7 and stamping the cut portions inwardly, as shown at 12, to form guides for the arms. The lower edges of the latter engage and slide upon a semicircular wire or rod 13, which closes the outer ends of the slots 11 and is secured to the outer edgeof the angular portion of the rim 7 by bending said edge around it, as shown at 14. The vertical guides 41.- are preferably formed by straight parallel portions of a wire or rod, which is bent upon itself to form an eye 15, straight parallel portions connected by a metal band or clip 16, outwardly and forwardly extending portions 17, and upwardly extending parallel portions, which latter form the guides 4. The upper ends of the guides 4 project through and are soldered or clenched in openings formed in the straight portion 8 of the head 3 at points equally distant from its center, so that saidupper ends are held stationary by the attaching-ear 10 on said head. The lower ends of the guides are held stationary upon the wall or other support by a nail, screw, or the like, which is passed through the eye 15, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings.

The lower vertically sliding head 5 is smaller but somewhat similar in shape to that of the head 3, and ably, from a single piece of sheet metal. It comprises a substantiallysemicircular flat top portion 18, an outwardly and downwardly extending slotted angular portion 19, and a flange 20 around the lower edge of the portion 19. The straight cross portion of the top 18 of this head is apertured to receive ful Improvements in Clothes-Racks; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in clothes-racks of that class which are adapted to be mounted upon a wall or other vertical j support and to be readily folded to occupy but little space when not in use.

The object of the invention is to providea simple, durable, and comparatively inexj pensive device of this character which may be quickly and easily opened for use or closed to economize space and which will be well adapted for the purpose intended.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved wall clothesrack, showing the same in its closed or folded position, one arm of the device being shown opened for use. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view through the same, showing in full lines the parts in their position shown in Fig. 1 and in dotted lines the parts in their opened position. Fig. 8 is a bottom plan view of the same, showing the rack in opened position. Figs. 4 and 5 are detail views of the stationary and sliding arm-supporting heads. Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of the lower portion of the arms.

Referring to the drawings by numeral, 1 denotes my improved clothes-rack, which is adapted to be mounted vertically upon a wall or other support 2 and which comprises the guide-rods 4, and upon the center of the an upper stationary head 3, carrying dependange 20 is provided a combined support and ing guides 4, and a lower vertically-movable handle 21. The latter is curved, as shown,

and has its lower inner end bifurcated to form angular arms 22 through apertures in which the guide-rods 4 extend. The part 21 thus serves to brace or support the head 5 in a horizonal position and also serves as a handle to facilitate raising and lowering it upon said i guides. The lower ends of the arms 6 prohead 5, which slides u on the guides 4 and j carries arms 6, which l tter project through and slide in the upper stationary head 3. j This head 3 comprises a semicircular rim 7, a straight portion 8 between the ends of said rim, a straight connecting portion 9, and an upwardly-projecting centrally-disit is formed, prefer-- ject through slots or openings formed in the angular portion 19 of the head 5 and are detachably pivoted upon a semicircular Wire or rod 23, which is secured upon the center of the under face of the said portion 19 by clips 24, which are formed integral with the head, as .clearly shown in the drawings. A detachable pivotal connection for these arms is provided, so that one or more of them may be detached from the head and used in a horizontal position, as shown in Fig. 1, while the others are in their closed or folded positions, and this connection is preferably effected by forming in the lower end of the arm a trans verse opening 25 and a narrow slot 26, which communicates with said opening and has a flared outer portion, as clearly shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings. The slot 26 is of less width than the diameter of the pivot-wire 23, so that the jaws formed by said slit will spring apart as the arm is pushed down upon I the pivot-wire to cause the latter to enter the transverse opening 25.

The construction, operation, and advantages of the invention will be readily under stood from the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings. It will be seen that by grasping the handle 21 and shifting the sliding head 5 up- I wardly or downwardly upon the guides 4 the arrrs may be swung to their open or to their closed position. When opened, they are 1 firmly supported in a substantiallyhorizontal position, and when closed the device occupies but very little space. The device is of l simple construction, so that it may be manufactured at a comparatively small cost, and it is strong and durable in use and very convenient to operate.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention as defined by the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Let ters Patent, is r The herein described clothes-rack comprising a stationary head having slots, and means whereby said head may be attached to a support, a guide having a pair of vertical parallel guide-rods, their upper ends secured to said stationary head and their lower ends united, inturned and formed with an attaching-eye to bear on the support, a lower, vertically-movable head having a handle on its lower side, provided with diverging bracearms, said arms and said head having openings through which the guide-rods extend, and arms pivotally connected at their lower ends to said movable head and slidable in the slots of said stationary head.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' WILLIAM S. MATHERS. Witnesses:

J. B. RANKIN, W. O. REcK. 

